Conveyor trackway



Dec. 18, 1962 H. F. PARKER ETAL CONVEYOR TRACKWAY Filed March 20, 1959 ATTORIVE YS.

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North Tonawanda, N.Y., assignors to Columbus Mc- Kinnon Corporation, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 800,706 2 Claims. (Cl. 104-172) This invention relates to trackways for conveyor systems, and more particularly to conveyor trackway systems comprising a pair of related trackways, one of which supports movable load trolleys, and the other of which carries power driven means having trolley engaging devices extending therefrom to engage the load trolleys.

In such systems the free conveyor track and the power track may be disposed in side by side or superposed relation or at any relative position therebetween as best suited to the conditions under which the conveyor system is to operate. Such systems usually run generally horizontally but often include up or down grades, as desired.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved dual trackway member for conveyor systems as aforesaid, which includes an improved track component for the load trolleys as well as an improved track component for the power supply means, in the form of a single, easily fabricated unit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description hereinafter and the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of one form of the trackway of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view corresponding to a portion of FIG. 1, showing a modified form of the trackway construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 but of another form of trackway of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of still another form of trackway construction of the invention.

The conveyor trackway of the invention comprises a single integral unit which in the drawing herewith is generally designated 10, which is so manufactured as to provide supporting rails for both the load trolleys and the power supply means. The member includes a sheet steel strip bent to form a main wall portion 12 which is channel shaped at its lower end to provide a second vertically standing wall portion 14, which in the form shown in FIG. 1 is doubled upon itself as indicated at 16 to provide a heavy reinforced rail surface 18 upon which run the rollers 17 of the load trolleys of the system, such as are designated generally at 30. At its upper end the main wall portion 12 of the trackway member is shaped as shown to provide a top wall portion 20, an upper side wall portion 22, and a track rail portion 24 which extends horizontally inwardly from said wall 22. The rail portions 18 and 24 may advantageously be specially hardened to provide more durable supporting surfaces for the load trolleys 30 and for the trolley propelling unit respectively, the latter being indicated generally at 32. FIG. 2 illustrates a modified form of construction wherein a separately fabricated rail strip 19 is welded or otherwise attached to the upstanding portion 14 of the rail structure 10; the rail strip 19 being preferably provided of hardened steel.

FIG. 3 illustrates still another modified form of trackway construction wherein a relatively wide trolley supporting rail surface is provided as shown at 34 by shaping the metal to include a generally circular rail section. Thus, load carrying trolleys as indicated at 35 having rollers 36 shaped to fit the sectional curve of the rail portion 34 will roll freely thereon while being guided by the roller "ice flanges. As also shown in FIG. 3, the trackway device of the invention is adapted to support within its upper portion another form of trolley propulsion unit which comprises a bracket 37 mounting main support Wheels 3-8; a diagonally oriented stabilizing wheel 39; and lateral thrust guide wheels 39a. Thus, the vertical wheels 38 carry the weight of the unit and guide it vertically, while the rollers 39, 39a cooperate to guide the unit horizontally and to hold it against twisting in the trackway; the roller 39 hearing into the corner of the track section and being thereby firmly stabilized.

FIG. 4 illustrates adaptation of the trackway structure to use with propulsion units of paired vertical wheel form wherein wheels as shown at 4040 are arranged to run on the flange 24 and on a second flange 41 comprising an angle-sectioned member having one leg thereof spotwelded or otherwise attached to the main wall 12. Horizontal guide rollers as indicated at 42-42 may be employed to roll against the side wall portions 12, 22 of the trackway; the rollers 40-40 and 4242 being conveniently carried by a single bracket device 43.

As shown in FIG. 1 the trolley propulsion arrangement may employ a power chain comprising a strand of chain links 50. At the trolley propulsion unit, the horizontally disposed chain links are connected by means of vertical pins 52 to clevis brackets '54- which are bolted or otherwise suitably attached to a bracket plate 56. By means of an axle bolt 58 a vertical roller 60 is mounted upon the plate 56, and by similar means a horizontal guide roller 62 may be mounted upon the plate 56. At its lower end the plate 56 is shown to pivotally mount as indicated at 64 a load pick-up lug 65 which depends therefrom into positional registry with upstanding abutments 68 carried by the trolleys 30. However any other suitable form of trolley pick-up arrangement may be employed. Thus it will be appreciated that the upper portion of the trackway structure comprises a box-sectioned element wherein the vertical rollers 60 are guided between the walls 20, 24 while the horizontal rollers 62 are guided between the walls 12, 22, whereby the power chain unit is positionally stabilized in its travel throughout the system. At the same time the load carrying trolleys are carried by the lower track rail portion 18 in exact alignment with the load pick-up lugs 66, insuring proper functioning of the conveyor system. FIGS. 3-4 illustrate application of the invention to flexible cable powered conveyor systems wherein cables are indicated at 70 as being clamped by any suitable means to the propulsion unit roller mounting brackets.

It will be appreciated from the above that by means of the invention a conveyor trackway unit of extremely simple structural form is provided, which in addition to the obvious manufacturing and installation advantages thereby provided, embodies the added advantage of being an integral structure wherein the relative positions of the trolley and power strand supporting rail surfaces are fixed, and

therefore are not subject to misalignments or need for constant maintenance adjustments. Whereas only a few forms of the invention have been shown and described it will be appreciated that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A conveyor trackway comprising a vertical main wall portion channel shaped at its lower end to present an upstanding wall portion parallel and spaced from said main wall portion and of a height substantially less than said main Wall portion, said upstanding wall portion serving as a support rail for the wheels of load-carrying troleys,

the upper extremity of said main wall portion terminatangle-sectioned member having one leg thereof rigidly ing in a horizontally directed top Wall portion and a vertically depending upper side wall portion spaced from and parallel to said main wall portion,

said upper side wall portion being of a vertical height substantially less than the height of said mainwall 5 portion and being spaced from the main wall portion a distance greater than the spacing between said upstanding 'Wall portion and said main wall portion,

said depending upper side wall portion terminating along its lower edge in a horizontal upper rail portion 10 extending toward said main wall portion but ter-. minating in spaced relation thereto and serving as a support rail for supporting wheels attached to a trol- Icy-propelling chain or cable,

the cumulative height of said upstanding Wall portion 15 and said depending upper side wall portion being substantially less than the height of said main wall portion.

2. The trackway according to claim 1 including an 2 afiixed to the inner surface of said main wall and having a horizontal leg portion projecting outwardly therefrom in co-planar relationship with said horizontal upper rail portion and serving as support rails for supporting wheels attached to a trolley-propelling chain or cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent. UNITED STATES PATENTS 786,193 Great Britain Mar. 12, 1954 ne y 

